McCulloch fit for final voyage

When Lee McCulloch injured his right ankle in Rangers FC's 2-1 defeat by Scottish Premier League rivals Celtic FC on 16 April, medical staff immediately advised him to banish any hope of playing again this season.

Dramatic recovery
The early prognosis for the Scotland midfielder was a six-week lay-off, leaving him stranded in the treatment room while his Ibrox colleagues battled past ACF Fiorentina in the semis to reach their first European final in 36 years. However, McCulloch's recovery has been dramatically swift and, three weeks on, he has declared himself fit for duty – in perfect time to claim a starting place in the UEFA Cup final against FC Zenit St. Petersburg.

Final hope
"Just 14 days ago I thought my season was over, but you must have hope," said the 29-year-old, who celebrates his birthday on the night of Rangers' showpiece match against Zenit. "To begin with, I was told my ankle was broken, but, fortunately, scans showed it was some just bad bruising. I feel I will be fit for the final, although obviously it's the manager's decision whether I'll play or not. Everything felt pretty good at training today and, if all goes well, I should be fit for the match against Dundee United [FC] on Saturday which would be the perfect preparation."

Gruelling journey
Rangers kicked off their arduous European campaign almost ten months ago, against FK Zeta in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round on 31 July. Few would have guessed it would have led them all the way to the City of Manchester Stadium, least of all McCulloch – who made his debut in the 2-0 first-leg victory against the Montenegrin champions. He added: "European football was all new to me when we played against Zeta. It was my first match for Rangers and, at that time, I had no idea where we would end up. Even now, it is incredible to think I've played 14 matches in the Champions League and UEFA Cup this season alone.

'Good omens'
"It's been a fantastic journey for us in every sense. We have bridged the gap between us and Celtic in the Premier League and produced some great performances in Europe. Now, our aim is to make sure it doesn't end on a low. Personally, there are some good omens because I have never lost a match at the stadium in Manchester and I even scored there for Wigan Athletic [FC]. We know Zenit are a very good team, but we will go to the final and enjoy it. People have said we have punched above our weight this season so, hopefully, we can do it again."